A primary election Wednesday on Standing Rock Sioux Reservation was recounted Thursday, with only two votes separating candidates for tribal chairman.

The race to watch is for the chairman position, currently held by Ron His Horse Is Thunder, who was making his first bid for re-election and held only a two-vote lead over challenger and current tribal vice chairwoman Avis Little Eagle.

Only one will advance to September's general election for the chair post, along with former tribal chairman Charles Murphy.

Murphy is currently serving an at-large council position and took a commanding lead in the primary. Murphy received more votes than His Horse Is Thunder and Little Eagle combined.

Unofficial results Thursday afternoon were Murphy with 567, His Horse Is Thunder with 223 and Little Eagle with 221.

Nearly 1,600 tribal members voted in the election.

In the only non-council ballot issue, Standing Rock voters said "no" to becoming the only reservation in the state to have a 5 percent North Dakota tribal sales and use tax.

The vote is advisory and the council will decide whether to enter an agreement whereby North Dakota collects and administers the tax with a portion returned to the reservation for tribal services.

The vote was 316 in favor of the tax and 503 opposed.

With Little Eagle out of the vice chairman race, the field was narrowed in the primary to Mike Faith, with 597 votes, and Ron Brown Otter with 413.

Incumbent tribal secretary Geraldine Agard will advance to the general election, along with Adele White.

In district council races, the primary winners were:

Long Soldier District - Henry Harrison and Katherine Bailey; Rock Creek District - Milton Brown Otter and Kerman Shoestring; Wakpala District - Duane Claymore and Manaja Unjinca Hill; Bear Soldier District - Errol Doug Crow Ghost Jr. and Nola Taken Alive; Kenel District - Theodore Marshall and Kerby St. John; Cannon Ball District - Sharon Two Bears and Robert Fool Bear Sr.; and Running Antelope District - Frank Jamerson Jr. and a tie for Dana Fast Horse and Adrian Kills Crow.